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[[British Commonwealth]] speakers usually refer to these as "petrol bombs," using the [[British]] name for gasoline.
[[British Commonwealth]] speakers usually refer to these as "petrol bombs," using the [[British]] name for gasoline.
==Origins==
The name "Molotov cocktail" was coined by the Finns during [[World War II]],<ref name="online">Online Etymology Dictionary: [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/molotov+cocktail ''Molotov cocktail'']. Douglas Harper, 2010.</ref> called ''Molotovin koktaili'' in [[Finnish language|Finnish]]. The name was a pejorative reference to Soviet foreign minister [[Vyacheslav Molotov]], who was one of the architects of the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]] signed in late August 1939.
The name's origin came from the [[propaganda]] Molotov produced, mainly his declaration on [[Soviet]] state radio that bombing missions over [[Finland]] were actually humanitarian relief efforts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Casselman, Bill|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1007046570|title=Word stash|isbn=1-4907-8494-2|oclc=1007046570}}</ref> The Finns sarcastically dubbed the Soviet cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Langdon-Davies |first=John |date=June 1940 |title=The Lessons of Finland |journal=Picture Post |authorlink=John Langdon-Davies}}</ref> When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the "Molotov cocktail", as "a drink to go with his food parcels".<ref>''The Second Book of General Ignorance'', Faber and Faber, 2011, p.76, ISBN|978-0-571-26965-5.</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons]]